


broken

by steviecrown



Series: negative [2]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alpha Gladiolus Amicitia, Alpha Ignis Scientia, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Angst, Background Ignoct, Beta Noctis Lucis Caelum, Hurt/Comfort, Infertility, M/M, Omega Prompto Argentum, mentions of mpreg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-03
Updated: 2018-09-03
Packaged: 2019-07-06 07:44:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15881628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/steviecrown/pseuds/steviecrown
Summary: Gladio placed his hand on Prompto’s shaking leg, though not to make him stop, but more to offer comfort. “It’ll be okay.” Those had been the words Gladio had said over and over, like a prayer, to reassure Prompto that no matter what happened, they would be there for each other. And even though Prompto believed his husband, he still couldn’t stop himself from worrying.[...]This would change their lives, one way or the other.Gladio and Prompto go see the doctor.





	broken

**Author's Note:**

> so i meant to have this done a lot sooner. im still not happy with it, but it's been forever and im tired of looking at it  
> there's still going to be more to this series  
> (also a side note: noctis is trans in this)

The smell of the doctor’s office was nauseating, reeking of disinfectant and other chemicals. It made Prompto’s head dizzy as he and Gladio sat in the room, waiting for the doctor to come back with the test results. Prompto wasn’t sure how long they had been sitting there, but he was starting to lose his patience. His leg bounced up and down and he tapped little beats with his fingers into his hand. He hated waiting. It was his worst enemy.

Gladio placed his hand on Prompto’s shaking leg, though not to make him stop, but more to offer comfort. “It’ll be okay.” Those had been the words Gladio had said over and over, like a prayer, to reassure Prompto that no matter what happened, they would be there for each other. And even though Prompto believed his husband, he still couldn’t stop himself from worrying.

Prompto nodded. “I know,” he said, swallowing thickly. Gladio offered him a smile. Prompto smiled back, though it felt forced. He sighed when Gladio gently wrapped an arm around Prompto’s shoulders and pulled him in close, kissing the side of his head, and that was enough for Prompto to calm down at least a little bit.

Well, until the doctor came back in with the results. Prompto felt his heart beat faster and pulled apart from Gladio like he was a student in school that had gotten caught by the teacher. He knew that he shouldn’t feel that way, but this doctor had always made him nervous, and their regular doctor had been away on vacation. And though Prompto had been desperately waiting for the doctor to come back with the test results, because he was tired of not knowing, he also feared what might be said. This would change their lives, one way or the other.

The doctor sat in his seat across from Gladio and Prompto, flipping through the papers on his clipboard. Prompto jumped when the man dropped the clipboard on his desk and it landed with a loud smack. He tried to cover it up by reaching back and running his hand through the back of his hair, but the doctor just smirked at him. Prompto shifted in his seat, looking anywhere but into the man’s eyes. The doctor ignored Prompto and turned his attention towards Gladio, who was now glaring at the other alpha.

“Mr. Gladiolus Amicitia, right?” the doctor asked. Gladio just nodded in response. “I’d like to speak to you in private.” He waved his hand at Prompto, as if to dismiss him from the room.

Prompto looked from Gladio to the doctor and then back to Gladio again. He made to stand up and leave, but Gladio put his hand firmly on Prompto’s thigh. Prompto stared at Gladio, unsure. He could feel the tension radiating from the two alphas and he didn’t want to be in the same room if they were going to be at each other’s throats. But Gladio just squeezed his leg, as if to assure him that everything would be okay, all the while never breaking eye contact with the other alpha. 

“Whatever you’ve got to say, you can say to both of us,” Gladio informed, sitting up straighter in his chair and buffing out his chest.

“This doesn’t concern him,” the doctor said, gesturing to Prompto.

“Of course it does,” Gladio replied and he took Prompto’s hand in his own. “He’s my husband.”

Prompto wanted to reach up and kiss Gladio, because he knew what the doctor had been insinuating. Because he was an omega, he wasn’t fit to be part of “grown up” conversation between two alphas. It infuriated Prompto to no end, but he was so happy that Gladio had referred to him as “his husband” and not “his omega”.

The doctor sighed and briefly looked down at his notes. “There’s something you should know, Mr. Amicitia.”

Prompto listened as the man rambled on about a bunch of medical jargon that he didn’t understand, but he got the gist of it. He squeezed Gladio’s hand.

\--

Gladio had stopped listening. After the doctor had informed him that he would never be able to have his own kids, he shut down. All that he heard was that he’s a broken alpha, that he’s useless. He and Prompto wouldn’t be able to have a baby of their own and it was all his fault.

It’s his fault.

He couldn’t even look Prompto in the eye. Prompto squeezed his hand and Gladio jerked away, pulling his hand from Prompto’s. He regretted it instantly. Prompto was just trying to help, to comfort him the way Gladio had always done after each negative pregnancy test that the omega had taken. Which was all his fault, he reminded himself.

Fuck.

Prompto must have hated him.

Gladio didn’t say anything as the doctor dismissed them. He rushed out of the room, Prompto not too far behind him.

It was quiet in Gladio’s truck on the drive home. His fingers itched to turn on the radio, just to drown out the silence. But he remembered that Prompto had been playing with it earlier that week, that it was now stuck on a peppy pop station that he would never admit that he secretly enjoyed. However, he didn’t trust that the station’s choice of music would be appropriate for this particular moment, and he didn’t feel like hunting for a new station.

Gladio looked over at Prompto when he was stopped at a fourway and his heart broke at the sight. Prompto was sitting with his elbow propped on the rolled down window, his chin resting in his hand as he stared outside. He hadn’t said a word since they left the doctor’s office.

This was all his fault.

When they got home, Prompto stretched and rubbed at his eyes, as if he’d fallen asleep on the ride. Though Gladio knew better. He could see the red and puffiness around Prompto’s eyes and he wanted to reach out. He wanted to hold Prompto in his arms, to kiss him and tell him that everything was alright. 

But it wasn’t alright.

And he wouldn’t have blamed Prompto if he didn’t want Gladio’s touch.

“I was thinking that we could just order takeout and have it delivered,” Prompto said as they entered the house. He walked over to the fridge and pulled off the list of phone numbers to their favorite places. 

Gladio slumped onto the couch. He was unsure of what to say when Prompto came back and plopped down next to him, acting cheerful as ever. like nothing had changed. As if reality hadn’t just slapped them across the face.

“What do you think sounds good?” When Gladio didn’t respond, Prompto pulled out his phone. “Or, you know what we could do? We could try that new Chinese restaurant down the road. What do you think?” Prompto searched for the restaurant’s site, looking through the online menu. He scooted closer to Gladio, trying to show him the screen.

Gladio shrugged, pushing the phone away from his face. He shifted in his seat, inadvertently moving away from Prompto. Prompto looked like a puppy that had just been kicked or stepped on. Gladio felt like an asshole. He wanted to take it back, to curl himself around Prompto, but he didn’t feel like he deserved to be close with the blond.

“I’m not really hungry right now, Prompto.” Gladio tried to act nonchalant, like he hadn’t already made an ass of himself.

He had almost expected for Prompto to perk right back up, to smile like he always did. Instead, Prompto just stood from his seat and said, “Well, you might change your mind when the food gets here,” and left to go order in the kitchen.

Prompto didn’t come back until the food had been delivered. Gladio could see that his eyes were puffy again, that his cheeks and nose were red from crying, and he hated himself more because he had been the cause.

Prompto sat down next to Gladio, and while they were close, there was still that bit of distance between them. He handed the takeout bag over to Gladio, pulling the blanket from the back of the couch over their laps, lifting his legs up from the floor so that he was sitting cross legged. Gladio took his food out of the bag, but he didn’t do more than nibble on a few bites.

He couldn’t figure out why Prompto was still here with him. Gladio had been closed off since they got the news from the doctor. He’d been cool to Prompto and knew that he didn’t deserve any sort of forgiveness from Prompto.

Gladio wanted to break down and cry. He wanted to wrap his arms around Prompto, to have Prompto hold him. Or to have Prompto scream and yell at him that it was all his fault and demand that he leave, to kick him out. Because why would Prompto want him to stay anyway? Gladio couldn’t give him what he wanted. He was a useless alpha.

Or maybe Prompto would leave instead.

Gladio looked over at Prompto. His eyes were focused on the television in front of them, food half eaten and pushed aside.

The thought of Prompto leaving him hurt more than the thought that Prompto would kick him out. And it pushed him to the edge.

Gladio threw the blanket off of him and stood. His feet led him to the door and he grabbed his keys. He could hear Prompto calling out to him, asking him where he was going, but he wasn’t even sure where he was going. He could hardly register what was going on around him, he just knew that he needed time to think, to clear his head. So he walked out of the house and got into his truck and drove away.

\--

Prompto blamed himself. He had tried to give Gladio his space, acted as casual as he could, because he thought that would be what Gladio would want. But maybe it wasn’t what Gladio had needed. Maybe he’d been wrong.

He dialed Gladio’s number, tapping his fingers impatiently on the back of his phone as he waited for the call to go through. Prompto hung up when he heard the light buzzing noise of Gladio’s phone against the coffee table. He felt so lost.

Prompto paced the living room area, hovering by the window to peek out into their driveway. Maybe Gladio had just went around the block for a drive, to blow off some steam. But time ticked until a few minutes turned into a half hour, and Prompto started to worry with each second that went by.

Prompto scrolled through his contacts again until he found Noctis’ number.

“Hello?” Noctis answered, sounding as if he had just woken up.

“Shit. Did I wake you?” Prompto asked.

“It’s fine. Just napping.” Noctis yawned. Prompto heard him stretch and ruffling of blankets being pushed aside. “What’s up?”

“Um, do you remember what we talked about yesterday?”

“Oh, yeah. Didn’t you have a doctor’s appointment today? How did that go?”

“About that,” Prompto started, trying to keep his voice even. “Is Gladio over there?”

“I don’t think so.” He made a grunting noise, and Prompto figured that he had pulled himself out from whatever nest he’d buried himself in. “Iggy’s in the kitchen by himself and I don’t see Gladio’s truck outside. Why? What’s wrong?”

Prompto hiccuped on a sob. He didn’t want to break down on the phone with his best friend while his husband was MIA, but it was happening. “Is it,” he paused, wiping at his eyes. “Is it okay if I come over?”

There was a hesitant silence on Noct’s side. “Yeah,” he said reassuringly. “Are you sure you’re okay to drive, though? Ignis and I can meet you at your place.”

Prompto wanted to say that that was fine, because he didn’t feel up to driving, but he also couldn’t just sit anxiously in this house anymore. “I’ll be fine.”

“Okay,” Noctis said. “We’ll keep the door unlocked for you.”

“Thanks,” Prompto said, gathering his jacket and car keys. “I’ll see you in a little bit.”

As Prompto drove to Ignis and Noctis’ place, he kept an eye out for Gladio’s truck, slowing down every time he passed a vehicle that looked similar to Gladio’s. He had hoped that he would find it parked alongside the road, that Gladio would be sitting on a bench somewhere and Prompto would pull over and sit beside him. It was too cliché, like something out of a movie, and it made Prompto sick to his stomach. He wished that things could be that easy and it brought him to tears again by the time he pulled into his friends’ driveway.

Noctis met him by the door and Prompto wrapped himself around his best friend, pushing his face into Noctis’ shoulder. Noctis just shushed him and rubbed his back.

“I’m sorry,” Prompto said when he’d finally managed to calm himself down enough to speak. “Today’s just been a really rough day.”

“Yeah? You never did say what was wrong.” Noctis took Prompto’s hand and pulled him into the house. “C’mon, I’ll show you the nest I made. You can tell me how horrible of a job I did since I’m not an omega.”

Prompto tried not to laugh. He didn’t feel like laughing right now, he wasn’t happy and he didn’t want to be happy when Gladio had run off the way he did. But he couldn’t help the amusement he felt at Noctis’ statement. It had been a joke between them since they were teenagers, and Prompto felt warm inside, like everything would be alright, regardless of the situation.

Noctis led Prompto to the couch, holding out his hands as if to say “ta-da”. Prompto couldn’t help but awe at the sight. The couch was filled with soft blankets and pillows, all positioned perfectly so that you would never be uncomfortable, no matter what position you were in. There were sweaters neatly folded in a corner, two of which were his and Gladio’s.

“I was wondering where these went,” Prompto said, running his fingers along the hood of Gladio’s sweater.

“I think you might have left them here when we had that big cookout.” Noctis sat on the couch and scooted himself back against one of the pillows.

“Oh, right.” Prompto didn’t want to think about that right now. That had been a day when he wasn’t his best, and it hurt to think about it.

Noctis patted the spot next to him and Prompto climbed onto the couch, pulling Gladio’s hooded sweatshirt across his lap like a blanket. “So, what happened?” Prompto sighed. He didn’t even know where to begin. And Noctis must have gotten that, because he took Prompto’s hand and rubbed circles over Prompto’s knuckles with his thumb. “You guys had an appointment, right?”

Right.

“Right,” Prompto said aloud. He took a deep breath and squeezed Noctis’ hand. “So, you remember when we said that it’d be funny if we were to raise our kids at the same time?” He put his free hand over Noctis’ stomach.

Noctis placed his hand over Prompto’s and nodded. “Yeah.”

“That’s not going to happen. We won’t be pregnant together.”

“Prompto…”  
“Not because I can’t get pregnant, but because Gladio…” Prompto trailed off.

“Oh…”

“And I don’t know why he left. I mean, I figured he’d leave if it were me that was infertile. I don’t know. He left his phone at home and I don’t know where he went. And I’m really worried about him. What if he gets hurt? I’ll have no way of knowing.”

Prompto broke down again. Noctis wrapped his arms around him and pulled him in close. He kissed the top of Prompto’s head and called for Ignis.

Ignis came into the living room, looking disheveled. “Yes, Noct?”

“Can you keep Prompto company? I’m going to go get Gladio.”

Ignis hesitated. “You know where he is?”

“Yeah, I think so.” Prompto looked up at him. Noctis wiped at the tears staining his cheeks. He started to pull away from Prompto, but Ignis stopped him, sitting at the edge of the couch.

“Well, then tell me where. I’ll go find him. You just stay here and rest.”

Noctis rolled his eyes. “Hypocrite. You haven’t slept in the past two days. If anyone around here needs to rest, it’s you.” He looked at Prompto. “He’s been obsessed with getting the nursery together. Like we don’t have months before the baby comes.”

“You can never be too prepared,” Ignis said, slumping a little.

“Sweetheart, you’re tiring yourself out. Take a break. Oh, show Prompto what you’ve been doing. Maybe he can give you some more ideas.”

Ignis narrowed his eyes at Noctis. “You need to take it easy, Noct.”

“No offense, Ignis, but I’ve been cooped in the house for the last week. I’m taking it as easy as it’s gonna get. Give me a few more months before I’ll wanna do nothing but laze around the house.” When Ignis didn’t say anything, Noctis leaned towards his husband and kissed him on the cheek. “I’ll be fine, I promise.”

Ignis sighed and hung his head. “Okay, fine. Just, be careful.”

Noctis smiled and kissed Ignis again. “I will.”

\--

Gladio sat at a table in a bar, far away in the corner from other people. He’d ordered a drink, but it was left untouched in front of him. He had meant to get blackout drunk, to drink until he didn’t remember why he was upset, like the alcohol would wash away all of his problems. A group of omegas and betas had approached him earlier, trying to catch his attention, but Gladio had waved them off.

“I’m married and mated,” he had said, lifting his hand to show his wedding ring and pointed to his mating scar. The group had just huffed and sighed, muttering something about how all the good ones were taken.

Gladio couldn’t help but think that they wouldn’t be saying the same thing if they knew of his situation. He stared down at the ring on his finger, turning it with his thumb and forefinger. 

He’d bought a pack of cigarettes after he’d left the house. He hadn’t meant to start the habit again, it was just an impulse buy. The thought of Prompto leaving him had his fingers itching for the pack in his jacket pocket. Without even realizing it, Gladio lit a cigarette and deeply inhaled. It didn’t make him feel any better, but it did relieve a lot of the pent up frustration that had built up inside him.

He was on his fourth cigarette when someone approached his table. Thinking that it was just another group of college kids, Gladio ignored them. And then,

“I thought you quit,” Noctis said, pulling out a chair and sitting down next to Gladio.

Gladio’s head shot up. “What are you doing here?” he accused, eyes glancing down to Noctis’ middle. “You shouldn’t be in here, Noct. It’s not good for the baby.”

“Then let’s leave.” Noctis shrugged, as if to say that it wasn’t a big deal, but Gladio saw right through him. He could tell that the smell was already bothering Noctis, that the air was making his skin itchy. Gladio stood and pulled Noct up with him, wrapping an arm protectively around his friend as they made their way to the exit. “Well,” Noct said once they were outside, “that was easier than I thought it would be.”

Gladio huffed. “What the hell were you thinking? Are you trying to hurt your baby?”

“Baby’s fine, Gladio. If you’re really concerned, you should think about putting out that cigarette in your hand.”

Gladio stared down at the cigarette like he’d forgotten all about it and dropped it on the cement, running his heel over it. He looked back to Noctis. “So, what, you’ve come to run me home so I can collect my things?”

Noctis narrowed his eyes. “What are you talking about, Gladio?”

"I’m a useless alpha, Noct,” Gladio spat out. “I’m broken. I can’t give Prompto a baby. What kind of alpha does that make me? A pretty pathetic one.” He turned his back to Noctis and took a few steps forward, like he was going to walk away, but stopped.

“Prompto’s really worried about you.”

Gladio hung his head. “He deserves better.”

“Would you say the same if it were Prompto?” Gladio turned to look at Noctis. “If it were Prompto that couldn’t have kids, would you say the same things about him? Would you say that Prompto’s useless or pathetic?”

Gladio growled. “Of course not!”

“Then stop being so hard on yourself. You don’t have to be the perfect alpha, Gladio. Prompto’s not going to leave you over this, he loves you.”

And that hit Gladio hard in the chest. He didn’t have to be perfect. He had already built himself to fit into society’s standards as the stereotypical male alpha; big and strong, handsome, successful, and he even had a beautiful omega at his side. His infertility was just a minor setback.

“You know,” Gladio said, pulling the pack of cigarettes from his pocket, “the only reason I stopped smoking was because Prompto and I were thinking about starting a family. And then today happened and I thought I might start back up again.”

“Well you better quit before you get addicted again. Prompto still wants kids. Before your appointment this morning, he told me he was going to talk to you about adopting. So you might wanna throw that away,” Noctis said, gesturing to the pack in Gladio’s hand.

Gladio shoved the pack into a nearby trash container.

\--

When they get back to the house, Prompto’s on the couch cuddling with Ignis. Gladio felt his heart twinge, and he couldn’t stop the slight jealousy that bubbled inside of him. Ignis wasn’t a broken alpha like him. He could give Prompto what he wanted. A low growl rumbled in his chest, causing Prompto to look up from whatever he was showing Ignis on his phone.

Prompto jumped to his feet, rushing over to Gladio and crashing into his husband. Gladio stumbled back a little, struggling to find his balance as Prompto hung onto him. “Gladdy,” Prompto breathed out, rubbing his cheek against the front of Gladio’s chest. He pulled back soon after, pausing and then sniffing Gladio’s jacket. “Ugh,” he groaned, “you smell like cigarettes, big guy. Have you been smoking?”

Gladio didn’t answer. Prompto gave him a look of disappointment and Gladio hung his head, hunching up his shoulders to make himself look small. He melted into Prompto’s embrace, wrapping his arms around the blond’s waist. Prompto framed Gladio’s face as tears started to well in his eyes.

“I was so worried about you,” Prompto whispered, kissing Gladio softly.

“Sorry,” Gladio apologized as the tears started to fall. “I’m so sorry, Prompto.”

He wasn’t sure what he was apologizing for. For not being able to give Prompto a baby? For running off the way he did? For not allowing Prompto to comfort him earlier? Or coming back smelling like cigarette smoke?

All of it, he decided. All of it and more.

Prompto shushed him, running his thumbs over the tears. “Baby, it’s okay. Just let it all out, it’s okay. I’m right here.”

Gladio sobbed. He buried his face into Prompto’s shoulder, tightening his hold on his husband. Prompto ran his fingers through Gladio’s hair, his other hand rubbing up and down Gladio’s back.

“Hey, let’s go sit down,” Prompto said, leaning up on his toes to kiss the top of Gladio’s head. He led Gladio to the armchair, sitting across Gladio’s lap.

Gladio grabbed tissues from the side table and wiped at his eyes, nose, and face. He had calmed down, lightly hiccupping as Prompto held his hand. He noticed that he and Prompto were the only ones in the living room. He wasn’t sure where Ignis and Noctis and run off to, but he was glad that they had given him and Prompto some privacy. Gladio looked down at Prompto’s shirt and frowned.

“Sorry about your shirt,” he mumbled.

Prompto shook his head. “Don’t worry about it.” He paused, reaching forward to push a strand of hair away from Gladio’s face. “How are you feeling?”

Gladio shrugged. “Better.” He wrapped his arms around Prompto, pulling the blond against him. “I am so sorry, Prompto. I shouldn’t have run off like that.”

“I just want you to be able to feel like you can talk to me. And if you do need some space, at least tell me where you’re going and remember to bring your phone with you.” He reached back and pulled Gladio’s phone from his pocket. “I wanna be able to get ahold of you. It worried me that I didn’t know where you were.”

Gladio took his phone and nuzzled Prompto’s cheek. “I’m sorry. I was at an old bar I used to go to back in college. I would always go there to blow off steam. That’s probably how Noct knew where I was.”

Prompto didn’t get a chance to reply as Ignis came into the room. “I set the guest bedroom up just in case the two of you would like to stay the night.”

“That sounds perfect,” Prompto said, looking over at Gladio. He smiled fondly at the image of his husband already dozing off in the chair. “What do you say, big guy? Are you ready to head to bed?” Gladio nodded and Prompto slipped off from his lap, taking Gladio’s hands and helping him up. “I’m gonna go say night to Noct real quick.”

After Prompto had disappeared down the hallway, Ignis turned to Gladio. “How are doing, Gladio?”

“Not good. I mean, better than I was before, but,” he stopped. Gladio looked at Ignis. There was that ache of jealousy again in the pit of his stomach. He tried to push it away. He didn’t want to feel jealous over something so petty. “I feel like I’m at a dead end.”

Ignis nodded. “That’s understandable. Although, Prompto’s still enthusiastic about starting a family. He made that very clear.”

Gladio couldn’t help but smile. He hadn’t even gotten a chance to talk to Prompto about that yet. There was still so much more that he wanted to discuss with Prompto, but it was getting late and he could feel himself drifting.

Prompto came back into the living room, taking Gladio’s hand. They both said goodnight to Ignis and headed towards the guest room. Gladio pulled off his shirt and shoved his pants off, leaving him in his underwear as he climbed into the bed. Prompto stripped out of his own clothes, picking Gladio’s shirt up from the floor and tugging it over his head since his was covered in the alpha’s snot.

Gladio opened his mouth to say something as Prompto crawled in next to him, but Prompto put a finger up to Gladio’s lips, shushing him.

“We can talk more in the morning,” Prompto said, pulling the covers over them. He wrapped an arm around Gladio, running his fingers through his husband’s hair.

Gladio’s eyes grew heavy from the touch and he struggled to keep them open. He wanted to stay awake and talk to Prompto. He didn’t want to wait until morning. But the soft bed beneath him and Prompto’s soothing scent had him giving in. Gladio embraced Prompto, kissing him softly and whispering, “I love you,” in his ear.

“I love you, too,” Prompto whispered back.

Everything would be okay.

**Author's Note:**

> i forgot to add, this is how i imagine noct's couch  
> https://secure.img1-fg.wfcdn.com/im/24937582/resize-h600-p1-w600%5Ecompr-r85/4152/41527509/Chelsea+Reversible+Sleeper+Sectional+with+Ottoman.jpg  
> \--  
> tumblr @soracrown


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